Monday, October 03, 2011

It’s that time of year when tomatoes are about to say farewell, and I’ve been eating them as often as I can. One of my favorite meals with said tomatoes is a batch of entomatadas.

If you’re not familiar with entomatadas, they’re like enchiladas—rolled tortillas filled with cheese, chicken or beef, and covered in a savory sauce. But as the term enchiladas refers to the chile sauce that covers the tortillas in that dish, the term entomatada refers to the tomato-based sauce that covers the tortillas in this dish.

The last time I had entomatadas in Texas was at a Mexican cafe in downtown Victoria called Mi Familia. There was a chalkboard outside that listed the specials, and in big letters was the announcement they were on offer that day. While I’d never eaten at that restaurant, when I walked inside it was bright, cheerful and smelled heavenly. I knew it would be good.

When the waitress came to my table, I asked her about the entomatadas. She said they were an old family recipe and that if I ate them it would be like eating in their home. How appropriate, I said, considering the restaurant’s name. She agreed and said I should definitely order them. I’m glad that I did. They were made with love and soul, and definitely made this stranger feel warm and welcome.
Now, entomatadas aren’t the most common dish in Texas and you’ll usually see them only in the southern part o the state. But that’s okay because the mild yet flavorful entomatadas are perfect for home cooking. They’re the Tex-Mex equivalent of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

Making the sauce doesn’t take much, as it’s one of those recipes where you just throw everything into the blender. I add a step by roasting my tomatoes and aromatics under the broiler before pureeing, but this extra effort is worth it as it adds flavor. Then you just fill the warmed corn tortillas with cheese, smother them in sauce, and bake until the cheese melts. To serve, I top them with slices of avocado and like all things Tex-Mex, they’re best nestled between Mexican rice and refried beans.

Sure, entomatadas may not boast the most heat or sizzle. But if you're craving something simple and flavorful, it's hard to go wrong with this simple yet soulful dish.

Now then, in a couple of weeks I’ll get my fix of Texan home cooking as I travel across the state for book events. Here’s a list of where I’ll be and I look forward to meeting you!

Method:
Heat up the broiler and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes seed side down on the sheet, along with the jalapeño, garlic, and onion. Place under the broiler and after 4 minutes, take out the jalapeño, onion and garlic and place in a blender.

Continue to cook the tomatoes for 5 more minutes or until the skin blackens. Take out the tomatoes, and when you’re able to handle them, remove the skin and seeds. Place the tomatoes in the blender. (If using canned tomatoes, skip the broiling step and just add them to the blender.) Add the cumin, allspice and puree until smooth. Heat the oil in a pot on medium low, pour the sauce into the pot, add the chicken broth and turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro, adjust seasonings and add salt to taste. (Note, if your tomatoes are especially juicy, you may forgo adding the chicken broth if you prefer, or add less than one cup.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a large baking dish. In a skillet, heat up the oil or lard on medium-low heat. One at a time, heat up the tortillas in the hot oil until soft. Keep them wrapped in a cloth or tortilla warmer until all the tortillas are heated.

Take each tortilla and place 1/4 cup of the cheese in the center. Roll the tortilla and place in the baking dish seam side down. Repeat for all the tortillas. Cover the tortillas with the sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese on top is brown and bubbling.

Misty--The sauce for enchiladas has dried chiles, such as ancho, guajillo or pasilla. The sauce for entomatadas does not have dried chiles, though sometimes people add a jalapeño or serrano for a little heat.

This sounds so easy to make, I am also homesick for some good Tex-Mex food, just can't find anything close in N.GA! Growing up cheese enchiladas were my favorite but I remember them having onion, should the onion be sauteed before adding with the cheese? I love your blog, have fun on the tour!!!

I love all your recipes, my only problem there is no (print recipe) click on, I have to print the whole article, 4 pages in this instant or try to figure out which page the recipe is on...am I overlooking something? I moved to Nashville from Austin 7 yrs ago and enjoy my Mexican food,(nowhere to be found except in my kitchen...Thanks for recipes!

Yummy! This reminds me of a plate at Tia Juanita's in Plano... avocado enchiladas. The "cilantro sauce" is tomato based and chock full of cilantro. The filling is avocado chunks and guacamole. Simple, but yummy.... thanks to your recipe, now I can make them myself! BTW I'm really enjoying your book, this morning I got really excited when I saw your recipe for chocolate chewies!

Would you please post the time you will be signing books at Le Crueset in Dallas on October 20th? I would LOVE to get a book signed, but I'll be coming from Denton so I'll need to plan! Thanks!! Lisa :)

O. M. G. Made these tonight and the whole family's giving you a BIG thumbs up! I doubled the recipe for our hungry crew. Used heirloom tomatoes that I found at Whole Foods. The sauce was so watery with just the tomatoes that I did not add the chicken broth. Questions... (1) Do you de-juice the tomatoes before you roast them? (2) Do you roast the jalapeños whole and add them to the blender whole? I did and also used bacon grease for the lard. Thank you, thank you, thank you Miss Lisa for this recipe that will be made regularly in our house (just like your french toast casserole).

Serena--I didn't de-juice my tomatoes (some are juicier than others, I reckon!) and I roast the jalapeños after I cut them in half and remove the seeds and stem. Then yes, I throw them into the blender.

Oh. Good. Lord. These are fantastic! I used canned whole plum tomatoes, because I had some. The sauce is just right! a little sweet, a little spicy. Loved them. Did the rice and beans too - delish. The Mexican Rice has become a staple here - also the kind of rice I have been searching for but never found - until now!

This was tasty. I used Heirloom tomatoes, hatch chile (I have a 3 year old who couldn't handle jalapeno), and miso broth to meet dietary restrictions of those sharing in dinner. It was great! The only thing I'd say is that adding 1 cup of stock/broth from the get-go was too much. My tomatoes had a lot of seeds/juice, so the added stock made for a sauce with water-like consistency. I cooked a little longer, and ended up adding two tablespoons to corn starch to get the sauce to soupy consistency. Very tasty and enough sauce to make two batches!

I'm from the UK and I've been trying to learn to cook tex-mex food ever since I tried it, b ut it's difficult here without being able to find many of the ingredients. Any chance you could do a blog post on useful substitutions for hard to find ingredients?

Just came across this page today, and it is a perfect fit! I am also a "home-sick Texan" missing the Tex-Mex greatly. I am living in Germany (try finding anything vaguely resembling TexMex!) and reminiscing about the food I am missing. I decided to just find the recipes and make my own, that is IF I can find the proper ingredients! I'll be looking. Thanks for this recipe; I have never had this (Ft Worth) but it sounds wonderful!

I had my first plate of Entomatadas in Laredo, TX and the home of much loved Mexican friends- yes ma'am, I'm a lucky girl! What a treat! Now I'm in DC and missing them all (people and the food) terribly! Thank you for the recipe.